The subject matter disclosed herein relates to turbomachines, and, more particularly, to mounting systems for attaching turbomachine blades to a turbomachine rotor.
Turbomachines include compressors and turbines, such as gas turbines, steam turbines, and hydro turbines. Generally, turbomachines include a rotor, which may be a shaft or drum, which support turbomachine blades. For example, the turbomachine blades may be attached to the rotor by a mounting segment, which mates with a slot in the rotor. Unfortunately, the slot may not permit direct insertion into the slot due to retention features of the one-piece mounting segment and the slot. For example, the one-piece mounting segment may include lateral hooks, which cannot pass into the slot in a radial direction. As a result, the slot requires an assembly gate, such as an enlarged opening, configured to receive the mounting segments during turbomachine blade installation. Unfortunately, assembly gates can increase costs, create stress concentrations in the turbomachine rotor, and prolong turbine start times.